Industrial matting products are well known. There has long been a need for temporary roadways, equipment supports, and the like, in areas where the ground is swampy, muddy, sandy and soft and incapable of supporting industrial machinery needed at the site to perform as they are intended. Temporary stages or other structures also need a stable support base on which to be erected and industrial matting products have been developed to fit the bill.
In fact, as far back as the 1950's, a portable road construction which is sturdy and compact, and which can be laid with a minimum of effort was described by John Battice Leyendecker in U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,026 to be used to provide access to oil and gas well drilling sites.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,712 titled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A CONSTRUCTION SITE FLOORING SYSTEM, discloses, “a method and apparatus for the construction of a flooring system for use at a construction site such as an oil well drilling site. The flooring system is formed by interlocking a plurality of flooring units. Each of the flooring units includes a rectangular base section and a surface section attached to and overlaying the base section. One end of the rectangular base section is aligned with one end of the surface section which has at least one open-ended locking slot along its length.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,358 titled PREFABRICATED PANELS FOR RAPID RUNWAY REPAIR AND EXPEDIENT AIRFIELD SURFACING, discloses, “low profile portable panels consisting of fiberglass-reinforced plastic composite mats which include hollow inorganic silica spheres in the plastic resin to reduce weight have recessed molded lips and bushings along all edges for connecting panels together with bolts to form expedient airfield surfacing and repair having high flexural strength and high structural capacity.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,304 titled ADJUSTABLE INTERLOCK FLOOR TILE, discloses, “a quadrilateral floor tile . . . with a generally flat top surface with each side having a downward sloping edge, inclining toward the floor. Two of the sides, being adjacent, are formed with an integral interlocking strips, each having a plurality of spaced-apart male connecting members. The remaining sides of the tile are formed with a plurality of cavities located to the interior to the sloping edge. Each of the cavities is positioned to mate with a corresponding male connecting member of a neighboring tile.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,551 titled, MAT SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ROADWAYS AND SUPPORT SURFACES, discloses, “a reusable mat system for constructing roadways and equipment support surfaces comprising a plurality of uniform individual mats which are constructed of lightweight composite materials and which include strengthening agents. The individual mats partially overlap and interlock to form a continuous and substantially smooth surface, to prevent undesired movement of the mats on location, and to permit quick installation of the mats by simple placement methods.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,612 titled, LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURES, discloses, “a load-bearing structure with a novel interlocking edge. Also provided is a method of making a load-bearing structure having an overlapping edge, in which structural members are combined so that a stepped-down lip of one structural member covers a peripheral edge of another member. Also provided is a load-bearing structure having cellular structure and which is useful with or without an overlapping edge.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,527 titled, INTERLOCKING MAT SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION OF LOAD SUPPORTING SURFACES, discloses, “a reusable mat system for the construction of load bearing surfaces, such as temporary roadways and equipment support surfaces, over unstable or unsubstantial terrain, comprising durable, interlocking individual mats which can be quickly and easily installed in a single application, and which can thereafter be easily removed and stored until needed again. The individual mats of the present invention interlock on all sides to form stable and continuous load bearing surfaces, and exhibit favorable traction characteristics.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,055 titled ROAD MAT, discloses, “a road mat having a mat body with a first coupling end and a second coupling end. A first locking mechanism is provided at the first coupling end that includes a male coupling member and a female coupling member. A second locking mechanism is provided at the second coupling end that includes a male coupling member and a female coupling member. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention the first locking mechanism is a reciprocating mirror image of the second locking mechanism.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,800 titled, INTERLOCKING MAT, discloses, “a mat system with each mat having sloping lips which overlap with an adjacent mat's sloping lips and are secured by interlocking joints in the mats' lips and/or by captive locking pins to form an easily assembled and interconnected flat surface. In use, opposing ledges forms a slot within holes in the top overlapping lips to receive a captive locking pin. The pin is captive by mid body prongs which fix underneath the ledges in a mat's upper lip's holes, and the pin locks and unlocks with rotary turning of the pin resulting in the pin's keeper feet fixing underneath the similar ledges in the holes of the lower lip of an adjacent mat.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,431 titled INTERLOCKING GROUND COVER MATS, discloses, “ground cover mats comprised of boards contained within a metal frame. The side surfaces of the mats are connected using an interlock member and an interlock opening. The end surface for the mats is connected using a retaining pin that feeds through openings in perpendicular plates, or alternatively using complimentary pins and recesses.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,382,393 titled TEMPORARY ROADWAY FOR MOVING HEAVY EQUIPMENT ON AN INCLINE AND STEEP GRADES INCLUDING SYNTHETIC INTER-CONNECTING MOVABLE AND REMOVABLE STRUCTURAL MATS, discloses, “a temporary roadway with a static resistant synthetic inter-connectable structural mats which connect without tools or fasteners having a top layer, a middle layer and a bottom layer. The static resistant synthetic inter-connectable structural mats can have static charge conduction conduit through the mat and the mats can be made from 100 percent recycled rust proof, non-absorbing materials.”
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,414,217 titled HEAVY DUTY MODULAR FLOORING AND ROADWAY DEVICE, discloses, “a modular flooring system which is designed to support heavy loads while providing structural stability and ground protection. The invention contemplates a modular mat having an integral main body with offset mounting and assembly flanges and a lattice interior. The mat is constructed from a unitary piece of high strength plastic. Each flange edge contains an outward radiused edge, while each non-flange edge contains an inward radiused edge. Each flange engages with a corresponding flange on an adjacent tile, allowing the outward radiused and inward radiused edges to properly mate. One or more metal cam locks located along the upper flange edges are secured into corresponding cam receptacles located along the lower flange edge. The mats may utilize optional top covers to prevent water and debris from entering the mats. The modular flooring system provides increased strength and stability and protection of the subsurface in heavy industrial applications.”
Finally, in another example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,646,242 titled MODULAR FLOOR TILE WITH CONNECTOR SYSTEM, discloses, “a modular floor tile may include a top surface, a plurality of edge surfaces, and a plurality of interlocking member for attachment to adjacent tiles. One interlocking member may include a protrusion having a curved interlocking portion. Another interlocking member may include a recess having a curved pocket portion. An interface between the curved interlocking portion of one tile and the curved pocket portion of another tile may allow pivot movement between the tiles. A modular floor may include a plurality of interlocking tiles connected to one another. Methods of forming a modular floor that includes a plurality of modular floor tiles are also disclosed.”
Thus, there have been many attempts to provide better solutions for temporary roadway mats and support surfaces. Some have shown some type of end or edge interlock mechanism. None have a replaceable end or edge interlock mechanism. Each methodology is specific to the one matting product with which it is applied. In all examples, if the matting product or the interlocking mechanism is damaged, the entire piece, and in some cases, entire sections, need to be replaced and rebuilt. This is both cumbersome and expensive.
None of the foregoing references, alone or in combination, teach the salient and proprietary features of the present disclosure. None suggest a replaceable interlocking mechanism. None demonstrate a simple slide-in/out securing arrangement. In some arrangements, there is a snapping together and if anything breaks, the entire unit, and in some cases, the adjacent unit, need to be discarded. In some arrangements, there is a complex bolting of units together. In some cases, there is a complex interlocking mechanism requiring a delicate fitting together that breaks easily. In some cases, there is described an interlock, but when reviewing the optimal embodiments, there is only taught an overlay, not an actual interlock. In those cases, there is a transfer of load, but there is no means of stopping lateral or vertical separation between mats. Moreover, in these simple overlay cases, individual planks are used to transfer loads. In this concept, the construction teaches continuous transfer of load along the entire edge of each mat as a result of the contiguous attachment of entire edges of mats to each other. In some cases, in order to provide proper attachment, planks are secured through the use of nails and/or glue. This is a semi-permanent installation technique wherein the mats cannot be uninstalled without intensive labor and/or destroying the mats such that they cannot be re-used.
The present disclosure teaches several embodiments of an interlock mechanism that can be adapted to any existing or future industrial matting, temporary roadway or support surface product to create an easy to use, replaceable interlocking device and method by which said products can be interconnected in a secure manner to remain connected for as long as required, and also easily disconnected when desired. In one embodiment, if the device should become damaged, it is easily replaceable without discarding the undamaged matting product.